Ok, I've seen all the movies (and liked most of them), but I would NOT, under any circumstances, look at what Lucas' perennially sophomoric dialogue looks like in print.

That crappy dialogue has made some of the best actors of their time sound like college freshman in Drama 101.

If one were to remove all of the FX, you would be left with a 1962 network soap opera with a black velvet drape as a background, a framed picture hanging (floating) on it, and yes, way, way more bad dialogue.

One might suggest that Lucas actually invented the contemporary graphic novel---not a novel, not a work of fine art, and not a "film."

Based on the age range so many of you fall into, I completely understand the strong influences special effects movies must have made on you as youguns. There are cultural biggies from everyone's youth that make a lasting impact, and there need not be "legitimate" or arguable reasons to hold on to those influences.

Look at some of the performances, character development, and dialogue in 2001 ASO, Blade Runner, or Alien. Compare those aspects to any Lucas movie (or Avatar) and I think you may come up short. Lucas characters are about their appearance, not their substance, and sure a squirrel pellets, not their essence.

Of course it's IMO! Unless I should start writing "IYO?"

Andrew, I have been visited by aliens since I was 9. Next time they stop by, I'm gonna ask them if they can give you back the time you've spent on this.

As much as people regurgitate what others say, I don't think IMO is an of course. Not that they're using it only when they have a genuine opinion of their own, but still.

Yes, the effects were a major component, but it's not like we haven't had movies with amazing effects that didn't resonate with audiences. I can't defend what George Lucas has become, but with Star Wars and Indiana Jones, he somehow arrived at an incredible combination of elements. Something there sparked my imagination like nothing else in my childhood.

I'm reading Carter Beats the Devil. Some people I follow on Twitter mentioned it and I bought it without knowing anything about it. It's not usually the kind of book I read, but I'm loving it. Here's a short description:

"Set against the backdrop of early 20th-century San Francisco during the heyday of such legendary illusionists and escape artists as Harry Houdini, this thoroughly entertaining debut by an amateur magician with an M.F.A. in creative writing is a fanciful pastiche of history, fantasy and romance."

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"I wish I had documented more…" said nobody on their death bed, ever.